Portion of Main Avenue to be closed during Hobo Day festivities in Brookings

BROOKINGS South Dakota State Universitys homecoming week is underway, and the Brookings Police Department is preparing for the Hobo Day festivities on Saturday.

The Hobo Day Parade starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. To accommodate the parade route, Main Avenue will close to traffic and parking starting at 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Violators will be subject to ticketing and towing.

After the parade, the Brookings Police Department will place barricades on the:

• South end of the Fifth Street and Main Avenue intersection
• West and east sides of Fourth Street and Main Avenue
• North side of the Third Street and Main Avenue intersection

The 300 and 400 blocks of Main Avenue will be barricaded and monitored. Police officers will allow downtown business patrons to enter and park downtown until late afternoon.

Sometime between 4 and 6 p.m., based on the crowd size downtown, the BPD will shut down all vehicle traffic in the 300 and 400 blocks of Main Avenue essentially from Skinners Pub to Nicks Hamburger Shop. The street closure will remain in force until sometime between 3 and 6 a.m. Sunday.

Rideshare drivers are encouraged to pick up customers at the Third or Fifth street intersections of Main Avenue. Those east-west intersections will be open to through traffic. The Fourth Street and Main Avenue intersection will be closed.

Safety is my top priority, said BPD Chief Michael Drake. Blocking vehicle traffic for a few blocks on Main Avenue will allow people to walk freely without the risk of a motorist not seeing them cross the street.

Main Avenue is a two-lane street with parking allowed on both sides, which can make it difficult to see pedestrians when they cross the street without using the crosswalks, Drake said. That becomes a greater concern on Hobo Day, which typically attracts an influx of visitors to downtown.

Last year, the 300 and 400 blocks of Main Avenue remained closed the entire day until early Sunday morning. This years plan allows for more flexibility to accommodate downtown business patrons during the afternoon.

We listened to feedback from downtown business owners and the community, and re-evaluated what we did. Our goal is to enhance public safety while still helping support local businesses, Drake said.

We hope everybody will understand and appreciate the reason for this, Drake said. We want people to enjoy themselves on Hobo Day and be safe.